I hope to be done with updating updates of the physical sort now that I’ve replaced my camera, laptop, and cell phone.  Yet I know there will constantly be updates to Windows on the laptop and apps on the phone.

View South from Yovimpa Point

Last week there was a problem leaving a comment on the blog and that was because I hadn’t updated a couple plugins for a while.  Those dang updates get me every time.  But with limited internet signal I can’t do updates every day.

Upper Paria Canyon & Navajo Mt 90 miles away from Rainbow Point

After two days off I went back to work Saturday and there were many updates now that CDC says vaccinated people don’t HAVE to wear masks everywhere.  Yet our staff of Rangers still wore masks both inside the office and outside at the information desk.  And I was happily surprised a high percentage of visitors wore masks as well.  Even at the outside hoodoo geology talk 75% of attendees also wore a mask while keeping a respectable distance.  Another park update includes celebrating an abbreviated Astro Fest in mid-June.  No telescopes but extra nights of laser-light constellation tours and other activities.  I’m glad that will fall mostly on my days off.

It was my week for hanging out at Rainbow and Yovimpa Points at the end of the scenic road, no complaints there.  One day I went with a new person, Ranger Tif, and the wind darn near blew us off the southern most Yovimpa.  So we walked the one mile Bristlecone Loop trail taking almost two hours answering visitor questions and identifying trees and plants which updates my forest knowledge.  The park’s oldest known Bristlecone, on the right, died at about 1600 years old, they can live to 5000+.

Admiring a 20 footer along the trail a visitor guessed it’s age at 50 and I guessed closer to 300.  Can’t know without coring the trunk.  Other mixed conifers seen along the trail include White and Douglas Fir, Limber and Ponderosa Pine, and a couple species of Junipers.  Plus some low growing red-barked Manzanita and some flowering bushes.

Most excited to see a Snowberry Clearwing Sphinx Moth pollinating the flowering Current bushes along the trail.  Seems the Snowberry isn’t flowering yet.

Sunday wasn’t a field day and started with project time, then a few hours at the information desk, and finished with a collateral duty taking care of the library.  Easy peasy.  But not so easy was once again fighting with “Network busy on Windows” error when I did the usual routine of tethering the phone to the laptop to get online if there’s a signal.  I tried the tech support I paid extra for but the difficult to understand voice couldn’t understand my situation—remote with no WIFI—and told me “it’s a Microsoft problem.”  Then she provided a phone number that gave a recording saying the only support is now online.  Of course that’s where I am not.  It’s now like I have to travel with my computer everywhere so I can get online where possible, but not at home.  Oh, and the phone has a mind of it’s own too constantly turning off the volume and on an alarm.  More updates on this further down.

The next day I took the laptop to work again so after I was off at 5pm I can download Windows updates and maybe solve the current problem.  Took about 30 minutes to update my laptop and then it would tether to the phone.  This has gotten very old and extremely frequent. Microsoft has us by the balls, so to speak.  That night I stayed online for hours, because I could.

The work day started early with opening the visitor center by 8am with Ranger C.  Later, we’d been scheduled for Rainbow Point.  However, new rules with updates to the schedule meant two people couldn’t ride in the same vehicle, even masked, for the 30 minute drive.  Ranger C. covered a desk information shift and I returned to Rainbow and Yovimpa Points for the afternoon.  But I didn’t stay long because of a lightning and thunder snowstorm.  Took a few photos and headed back with a quick stop at Ponderosa Point and then Natural Bridge overlook before returning to the office.  Visitors were shocked and mostly ill prepared for the cold, wet and windy weather.  Saw one pronghorn in a meadow on the return my first this year seen in the park.

Tuesday several Rangers where sick from the second Moderna shot so there were updates to the schedule.  Still worked 12:15-1:15 at the desk.  Then added the 2pm hoodoo geology talk with roving along the rim and decided to have the Portabella sandwich for lunch at the Lodge.  Then more roving and back to the information desk from 6-8 to close.

Opened the visitor center the next day, my Friday on Wednesday, then returned to Rainbow/Yovimpa Points to rove.  Left the phone home as it doesn’t really work out there anyway.  But the damn thing has a mind of it’s own and in my back pocket seems my butt can turn things on I can’t even find.  WTF?  Probably needs updating.

Spent the next day doing laundry and cleaning house for my guest’s arrival in the afternoon.  Met Karen and Jim at the North Rim Grand Canyon in 2008, and she started me on the road to blogging.  Sadly, she lost her husband but is keeping up a good attitude living in Denver and just bought a three-wheel bike.  It had been nine years since we’d seen each other.  She flew in to Vegas Wednesday and visited with another friend then drove to Bryce the next day and of course we were up pretty late.

View South from SR14 to Zion NP

I had an eye doctor appointment for Friday in Cedar City, 1 1/2 hours away, so we got an early start and had time for breakfast out before arriving minutes late.  But I had to wait for over 30 minutes anyway.  Medicare completely covered the eye exam and the doctor said my eyes were healthy and not yet in need of cataract surgery. Then I picked out a pair of lavender kids frames and the glasses should be ready in 7-10 days.  After grocery shopping we went to the pet store for cat food and in the same strip mall Verizon. The battery was starting to bulge on the phone thus causing all kinds of problems so I decided to replace it. What a hassle to wade through the paperwork, then leave both phones for 30 minutes to transfer stuff to the new phone, also a Motorola Droid.  I decided to leave the old phone for them to recycle but didn’t discover until I got home they hadn’t moved all my photos.  They were closed by then.  Of course the new phone is a new learning curve. Just a little smaller screen but comes with a stylus.

Rental cabin near the Lodge

I called the store first thing in the morning and got transferred to a call center. I wanted to stop them from recycling/throwing away my old phone. A message went to the sales person. Then we went to breakfast at the Lodge and I got a call from the store manager but the signal wasn’t great so he was suppose to call me back. Didn’t happened.

Afterwards we walked to the rim briefly in a cold wind, got in some selfies and a lady took pics of us and the canyon.  Karen left just after noon and it was hard to say goodbye.  A two day visit was too few.  But we’re already talking about a winter gathering somewhere.

Arrow leaf Balsam Root

Later I tried to connect phone and puter via USB and not sure if it’s the daily lousy connection or I’m doing something else wrong as I don’t seem to have a signal. Seems it’s time for updating Windows again and can’t because I’m not online and I can’t get online until I update Windows. This is getting very old.  Time to take the new laptop to work again.  Sigh…  Funny thing the old laptop will connect if there’s a signal and that’s how this post is going out.  But what a pain to have to save from the new laptop to a flash-drive then load onto the old laptop and hope for the best.